What trends should we look for it we want to identify stocks that can multiply in value over the long term? Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. Speaking of which, we noticed some great changes in GlobalData's (LON:DATA) returns on capital, so let's have a look.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. To calculate this metric for GlobalData, this is the formula:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) ÷ (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.20 = UK£69m ÷ (UK£501m - UK£154m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to June 2023).

So, GlobalData has an ROCE of 20%.  That's a fantastic return and not only that, it outpaces the average of 16% earned by companies in a similar industry.

Check out our latest analysis for GlobalData  AIM:DATA Return on Capital Employed January 8th 2024

Above you can see how the current ROCE for GlobalData compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering GlobalData here for free.

How Are Returns Trending?

GlobalData is displaying some positive trends. The data shows that returns on capital have increased substantially over the last five years to 20%. The amount of capital employed has increased too, by 49%. So we're very much inspired by what we're seeing at GlobalData thanks to its ability to profitably reinvest capital.

The Bottom Line

In summary, it's great to see that GlobalData can compound returns by consistently reinvesting capital at increasing rates of return, because these are some of the key ingredients of those highly sought after multi-baggers. Since the stock has returned a staggering 183% to shareholders over the last five years, it looks like investors are recognizing these changes. So given the stock has proven it has promising trends, it's worth researching the company further to see if these trends are likely to persist.



GlobalData does have some risks though, and we've spotted  1 warning sign for GlobalData that you might be interested in.

GlobalData is not the only stock earning high returns. If you'd like to see more, check out our free list of companies earning high returns on equity with solid fundamentals.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.